NDC Exchange enables airline to connect directly to a new distribution ecosystem

ATPCO and SITA today announced that launch customer Air Canada processed its first NDC (New Distribution Capability) production transaction via NDC Exchange, a platform that simplifies the adoption of the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) NDC standard.

NDC is a new standard aimed at enabling the travel industry to transform the way services are retailed to corporations as well as leisure and business travelers. It provides greater product differentiation, quicker time-to-market, access to full and rich content and delivers a more transparent shopping experience.

NDC Exchange is a community platform that facilitates the real-time NDC connectivity between airlines and sellers (GDSs, travel agents, aggregators, OTAs, and TMCs) so that they can exchange NDC messages easily and cost effectively. NDC Exchange supports shopping, booking, and servicing workflows and enables the cross-selling of ancillary services between airlines, and airlines and sellers. It normalizes messages regardless of version or format, creating interoperability across the distribution ecosystem. Travel sellers can access multiple airlines via NDC Exchange, hence lowering the cost of their implementation.

“It became apparent to us very quickly that NDC Exchange was the perfect fit for Air Canada,” said Keith Wallis, Director of Global Product Distribution for Air Canada. “It is built by industry partners that we know and trust, and it allows us to work with multiple sellers through one connection. NDC Exchange is enabling Air Canada to innovate and get to market rapidly.”

Air Canada was able to simultaneously implement connections to multiple sellers using NDC Exchange, including Verteil Technologies, Innfinity Software Systems, Serko, and Atriis. This demonstrates, in real-world conditions, the simplicity and scalability of NDC Exchange.

“Enabling our customers to get their products to market quicker in a way that works best for them is what guides us,” said Graham Wareham, Director of Products & Solutions for ATPCO. “As NDC continues to gain traction in the industry, ATPCO will provide the solutions that are cost-efficient and enable our customers to effectively incorporate new distribution channels into their business model.”

René Fourel, VP Messaging and Data Services at SITA said: “In today’s digital world, consumers are accustomed to a more direct and flexible retail experience, and it should be no different with travel. Through NDC Exchange, airlines such as Air Canada can move closer to their distribution partners by simplifying and scaling their NDC connectivity in a cost-effective way.”